The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-03-30

and felt almost defiant; but their life is giving
way now under the swarm OF these peStlfer-
GUS annoyances The Lord sent the hornet.
Ihave noticed in the history of some OF my
congregation that their annoyances are null
tiplying, and that they have hundred where
they used to have ten. The naturallst teLs
us that wasp sometimes has family or
twenty thousand wasps and it does seem as
If every annoyance Of your life bred
million. BY the help Of God to-day I want
to show YOU the other side. The hornet is of
no use? O, YES! The naturaliSts tell us
they are very important in the worlds
economy; they kill spiders and they clear
the atmosphere; and l really believe God
sends the annoyances OF our lie upon
the atmosphere of our skies. These annoy
anceS are sent on us, think, to wake us up
from our lethargy There is nothing that
makes man so lively as nest of yellow
Jackets and l think that these annoyances
are intended to persuade us of the fact that
this is not a world for us to stop in. If we
had q bed of everything that was attractive
and soft and easy, what would we want Of
heaven! You think that the hollow tree
sends the hornet, or you think the devil sends
the hornet. Iwant to correct your opinion.
The Lord sent the hornet.
Then also think these annoyances come
upon us to culture our patience. In the
gymnasium you find upright parallel bars
bars with holes over each other for pegs to be
put in. Then the gymnast takes a peg in
each hand and he begins to climb, one inch at
cultured. reaches after awhile the ceiling.
And it seems to me that these annoy
ances in life are moral gymnasium, each
worry q peg by which we are to
climb higher and higher in Christian
attainments We all love to see patience,
- 10 -, fosr thnr
is child of the storm fyou had everything
desirable and there was nothing more to get,
what would you want with patience! The
only time to culture it is when you are SLAM
dered and cheated, and sick and half dead.
"Oh," you say, "if only had the circum-
stances Of some wellto-do man l would be
patient too" You might as well say: IF it
were not for this water I would swim" or,
~ could shoot this gun if it were not for tho
caps.n When you stand chin deep in annoy
ances is the time for you to swim out toward
the great headlands Of Christian attainment,
and when your life is loaded to the muzze
with repulsive annoyances-that is the time
to draw the trigger. Nothing but the furnace
will ever burn out of us the clinker and the
Stag: I have formed this theory in regard to
small annoyances and vexations. 1t takes
just SO much trouble to fit US for usefulness
and for heaven. The only question IS,
whether we shall take it in the bulk, or pull
verized and granulated. Here is one man
who takes it in the bulk. His back Is
broken, or his eyesight put out, or some
other awful calamity befalls him; while
the vast majority, Of people take the thing
piecemeal. Which way would you rather
have it! Of course in piecemeal. Better have
five aching teeth than one broken jaw. Better
ten fy- -blisterS than an amputation. Better
twenty squalls than one cyclone. There may
be difference of opinion as to allopsthy and
homeopathy; but in this matter of trouble
I like homeopathic doses small pellets of
annoyance rather than some knock down dose
of calamity. Instead of the tlunderbolt give
us the hornet If you have bank you would
great deal rather that fifty men should come
in with checks less than hundred dollars
than tn tI,c two depositors come in the same
day each Wanting ms ten ten thousand dollars.
In this latter case, YOU cough and l0oE uo"r-
at the floor and up at the ceiling before you
look into the safe. Now, my friends,
would you not rather have these small
drafts Of annoyance on your bank OF faith
than some all-staggering demand upon your
that YOU will not surrender to small annoy
ances In the village Of Hamelin, tradition
says, there was an invas on of rats, and these
small creatures almost s$evoured the town
and threatened the lives * the population,
and the story is that pipe. came out one
day and played very sweet tune, and all
the vermin followed him-foliowed him to
the banks of the Weser, and then he blew
blast and they dropped in and disappeared
I could, on the sweet flute of the Gospel, draw
forth all the nibbGng and burrowing annoy
ance of your life, and play them down into
depths forever How many touches did the
artist give to his picture Of "Cotopaxi,n or his
''Heart of the Andes?> l suppose about 5O,-
600 touches. hear the canvas saying:
"Why do you keep me trembling with
that pencil 50 long! Why don't you put il on
how to make a painting; it will take fifty
thousand of these touches" And want you,
my friends, to understand that it is these ten
thousand annoyances which, under God, are
making up the picture Of your life, to be hung
at last In the galleries of heaven, fit for angels
to look at. God knows how to make picture.
Igo into q sculptor's studio, and see him
shaping a statue. He has chisel in one
q very gentle stroke-click, click, clickl l
say: sSVrhy don't you strike harderm "Oh!"
he replies, 'that would shatter the statue. I
can't do it that way; must do it this way"
So he works on, and after awhile the feat
ures come out, and everybody that en-
ters the studio is charmed and fascinated
We'll, God has your soul under process Of de-
velopment, and it is the little annoyances and
vexations Of life that are chiseling out your
wonder why some great providence does not
come, and with one stroke prepare you for
heaven. All, no; God says that IS not the
way. And so he keeps on by strokes Of little
vexations, until ut last you shall be glad
spectacle for angels and for men. You know
that large fortune may be spent lu
small change, and a vast amount Of moral
oh M on QeDloClOU,
It is the little troubles Of life that are having
more effect upon you than great ones. A
swarm of locusts will kill grain field sooner
than the incursion Of three or four cattle.
You say: "Since lost my child, since lost
my property, have been different man."
But you do not recognize the architec-
ture Of little annoyances that are hewing, dig
ging, cutting, shaping, splitting and IN
terjoining your moral qualities One lucifer
match may send destruction through block
Of storehouses. Catharine de Medicis got her
death from smelling poisonous rose. Column
bus, by stopping and asking for piece or
bread and drink Of water at a Franciscan
convent, was led to the discovery OF new
world. And there is an intimate connection
between trifes and immensities, between
nothings and everythings.
Now, be careful to let none OF those annoyi
ances 60 through your soul unarraigned.
Compel them to administer to your spiritual
wealth. The scratch of si3penny nail some
times produces lock- jaw, and the clip Of
most infinitesimal annoyance may damage you
forever. Do not let any annoyance or per
plexity come across your soul without its
making you better.
Our National Government does not think
it belittling to put a tax on pins, and a tax on
buckles, and tax on shoes. The individual
taxes do not amount to much, but in the ag-
gregate to millions and millions Of dollars.
And would have you, Oh Christian man,